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Another fine example of either a school over-reacting to child's drawing or a school surpressing Christian beliefs. You decide.

A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.
He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.

The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site in Attleboro. He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.

“I think what happened is that because he put Xs in the eyes of Jesus, the teacher was alarmed and they told the parents they thought it was violent,” said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant with the Associated Advocacy Center.

They over-reacted because of a prior incident in which a kid made a drawing that truly was threatening to a teacher.

The teacher/principal should have ended the situation after the child clarified what his drawing was of, and how it related to a family trip.

Take a look at the kid's picture. Is there any way that a normal person of average intelligence could detect a threat in that pic? Why would the kid have to explain about the trip? If Christ doesn't remind people of Christmas, exactly what would?

Take a look at the kid's picture. Is there any way that a normal person of average intelligence could detect a threat in that pic? Why would the kid have to explain about the trip? If Christ doesn't remind people of Christmas, exactly what would?

Maybe presents... After all, isn't that what Christmas is about?

Obama-if you're being run out of town, get out in front and pretend that it's a parade!!!

Take a look at the kid's picture. Is there any way that a normal person of average intelligence could detect a threat in that pic? Why would the kid have to explain about the trip? If Christ doesn't remind people of Christmas, exactly what would?

I hadn't looked at the drawing before, because the article took too long to load. You're right, it's pretty obviously a drawing of Jesus on the cross.

The school requiring a psychological evaluation (at the parents' expense!) is completely ridiculous, and probably gives the dad some legal leverage, because to undergo a psych eval without a reason can be traumatic for a kid.

I hadn't looked at the drawing before, because the article took too long to load. You're right, it's pretty obviously a drawing of Jesus on the cross.

The school requiring a psychological evaluation (at the parents' expense!) is completely ridiculous, and probably gives the dad some legal leverage, because to undergo a psych eval without a reason can be traumatic for a kid.

Are you saying that he may needs a Psych eval to see if he was damaged by the Psych eval? :D

Are you saying that he may need a Psych eval to see if he was damaged by the Psych eval? :D

LOL. No, I just have observed psych evals, and if a kid doesn't need one, it can be a pain. Not only that, the school now has a psych eval of the kid in his file. Any incident he has in the future will be put in the light of that evaluation. Especially if they gave him a projective test, like the MMPI. My official argument with my mom's stupid, psychologist boyfriend is that the MMPI is complete and utter bullcrap, but it produces a psychological profile of the subject based on answers to such important questions as "Would you rather be a tree or a flower?". A psychologist gave one once to a delinquent I worked with that labelled him as being confused about his sexual orientation, when he was definitely a straight kid. When that kid was later sexually assaulted by another kid in a juvenile facility, that report was used to persuade his family not to sue-a report based on projective answers and not on the kid's outward behavior at all.

I think that a case can be made that the kid was traumatized without subjecting him to a further evaluation. The parents need to make sure that their lawyer gets that eval purged from his file, or it's going to be used against him at a future date.